


Awakening

by SerpentsEmbrace



Series: Awakening [1]
Category: Warframe
Genre: Gen, Mild Blood, Mild Gore, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Psychological Trauma, The Second Dream, The Second Dream Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-05 00:29:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12179451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerpentsEmbrace/pseuds/SerpentsEmbrace
Summary: A Tenno is awakened from the Dream in a very unpleasant manner. If you haven't finished the second dream, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.





	Awakening

***Clank!***  
**Thud**

In the dark corridors of an inactive portion of a corpus carrier vessel, an intruder made their entry undetected. Crouched atop the grating that had been kicked out to allow them access, a dark figure, shrouded in smoke, slowly rose to their feet. Lights aboard the figure's helmet activated and swept across the room, revealing… a Janitor's closet. While proxies has taken over the duties long ago, the supplies still need to be stored somewhere, it seemed. A muffled curse echoed unheard in the tiny, metal room.

“Operator, is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just… thought it would be cool if I… nevermind.” The lone Tenno replied to his Cephalon. He swept away the smoke surrounding his black and red-painted Ash Warframe and set to silently hacking into a nearby access panel.

“We cannot afford to waste time,” the robotic female voice chimed in again. “Besides, we chose an inactive ship segment on purpose. Of cou- WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?”

“Shut up, I'm hurrying,” the Tenno replied with a sheepish grin. It wasn't long before the doors were unlocked and he was sprinting through the cold, dark, metal hallways towards his objective. All he had to worry about was the corpus security cameras, which were easily dispatched with a well-aimed kunai. Even once he entered the active ship segments, his silent weapons and stealth-capable Warframe allowed him to remain undetected with relative ease.

His goal was a Corpus Jackal. While they were no pushovers, the quadrupedal robots were far from the superweapons their original marketing had advertised. That said, they were still very expensive to produce, so it hurt the Corpus every time one was destroyed. This one had been more difficult to locate, and security seemed to be tighter, but otherwise nothing was different from similar missions he had completed in the past.

The routine gave him some time to think. He wondered about the Corpus and their goals. He wondered whether they considered the Jackal program a success. He also wondered, as he often did, about his own goals. Since being brought from cryosleep, he had precious few memories from before that time. It was mostly brief images of foes he did not recognize, sensations, and an emotional turmoil that he couldn't identify - something that was not fear, anger, or joy, yet was somehow all of them simultaneously.

What bothered the Tenno most, however, was the fact that he could not remember his name. The Lotus would not tell him, but it seemed that she knew. She had suggested he choose a name for himself, but it had felt wrong. How could he name himself when he felt like he didn't even know himself? The strongest memories he had were of his Warframe. He felt most comfortable when using Ash's abilities. To other Tenno, he simply asked to be called by that name. To his cephalon, he was Operator. To the Lotus, he was Tenno. It worked for now, but once this mission was over, he wanted to spend more time meditating, trying to recover what memories he could.

“Heavily armed Corpus proxy detected ahead! Be caref- ANNIHILATE!”

Ash’s thoughts were interrupted by the Cephalon’s half-warning, half-battle cry. He nodded his acknowledgement and drew his bow. The instant the door to the Jackal’s chamber slid open, he loosed an arrow precisely where he knew the proxy would be stored. He had done this many times before, and he didn't care to spend much more time in these dreary Corpus hallways. He drew another arrow… but he hesitated to release it.

His first shot had missed. The arrow had passed several feet beneath the main body of the walker and embedded itself only an inch or two into the armor of one of its back legs. There was something very wrong here, and it took the Tenno several seconds to figure out what it was. He hadn't missed his intended target - this was a different proxy altogether. It was much larger, painted black, and had massive rocket launchers attached to each of its legs - and those were just the visible differences.

The metal beast shrieked as it rose from a crouched storage mode to its full height combat mode. While a Jackal stood only about 5 meters tall, this creature was at least twice that. A blue light flashed over its carapace as its shields activated. “No threats detected,” the beast transmitted. “One pest detected: EXTERMINATING.”

Ash broke from his initial hesitation upon receiving the transmission, which identified the machine as Razorback. The tenno loosed his second arrow and rolled out of the way before he gave any more time for this Razorback to direct its weapons at him. This was an unexpected development, but there was no backing down now. A bigger jackal was still just a big, stupid robot.

A few arrows later, Ash’s confidence was beginning to falter. Aiming for the walker’s legs had no effect, contrary to his fights against Jackals. Its entire body seemed to be heavily shielded, and none of his weapons could weaken them sufficiently. On top of that, bursas began to add to the mess of grenades, rockets, and plasma bolts. Ash was just barely able to leap back out of the way to avoid one of them nearly landing on top of him after leaping down into the chamber. He quickly activated his smoke screen to stun it and cloak himself. The bursas were more vulnerable to his arrows than the Razorback, he noted with satisfaction when the machine fell still. Still cloaked, he moved forward to hack the console on its back. At the very least he could take some of the pressure off himself.

***KA-THOOM!!!***

Whether by chance, prediction, or advanced sensors, the Razorback directed its rockets directly at Ash’s position. The blast caught him completely off guard and flung the Warframe into the air like a ragdoll. He struck one of the four pillars in the center of the room hard enough to knock the air from his chest. He was dimly aware of a second impact when he landed flat on his back, dazed and disoriented. He felt for his weapon, but failed to locate it in time. Ash spotted his bow just a few inches beyond his reach. He stretched his arm out… and then there was only metal before him, and pain beyond imagination.

“AAAUUUGH!!!”

Several realizations struck Ash simultaneously. First: the metal obstructing his vision belonged to the Razorback’s leg. Second: his arm was beneath it, pressed far too flat to be undamaged. Third: the guttural scream he had just heard was his own. Only adrenaline, or whatever artificial equivalent flowed through the Tenno’s systems, saved him from blacking out or experiencing the full sensation of what had just happened - for an instant anyways.

“Non-believers will be crushed!” Razorback transmitted, its insect-like head chittering gleefully. “The Void condemns you!” The walker lifted its foot from Ash’s arm, which stuck to the heavy duty treads briefly before flopping limply onto the ground again, crumpled like tin and soaked in crimson. When it stepped down again, it was on Ash’s chest.

The Tenno groaned as the air was forced from his lungs. He curled his legs instinctively and pushed uselessly with his left arm. There was no way he could escape by strength alone, it quickly became clear. The Razorback’s weight was far too much for him to budge as it pressed down on him maliciously. Ash's mind raced. Perhaps if he could just muster the strength to teleport?

That thought was quickly crushed underfoot, quite literally. A vicious stomp to Ash’s chest left him gasping soundlessly for air and clutching the robotic foot atop his now dented breastplate. “Tenno chance of success: zero,” Razorback taunted. It stomped down on the pinned Warframe a second time, crumpling his chest further and trapping his free arm in the process. “Praise be the Void!” A third stomp all but collapsed Ash’s chest entirely. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He couldn't think. He could only watch as the massive mech lifted its foot one last time, its joints dripping with his blood. “DIE, DEMON!” The last thing Ash saw was that robotic tread descending rapidly towards his head.

________________

White.

Everything was white.

It was silent.

No… there was a faint rhythm… a heartbeat?

And then there was falling - and pain.

A lone Tenno took in a sudden, sharp breath. His eyes opened wide and darted about in a panic. He cried out weakly in a voice he did not recognize. What was going on? Where was he? How was he alive? Was he alive?

“Tenno… Can you hear me?” The voice of the Lotus was like the softest silk - gentle and soothing. The Tenno could almost cry with relief.

“L-Lotus?” he croaked. His recent memories flooded to the forefront of his mind. The explosion, his injuries… his helplessness as he was crushed beneath the corpus machine… His heart was beating so quickly it became impossible to discern individual beats. His head spun as he gasped for air. He felt like he might vomit.

“Tenno, I'm so, so sorry,” the Lotus spoke softly. “You're safe now. Breathe. Calm yourself.”

There were so many things the Tenno wanted to ask. But all he could manage with a trembling voice was “Wha-... H-h-how…?”

“I know you have questions, Tenno,” the Lotus replied. “I will answer them all for you soon. For now, you must gather your strength. I am on my way.”

The Lotus… on her way? Ash slowly discerned that the white he saw belonged to ornate Orokin walls, trimmed with gold as per standard. Glancing to the floor upon which he now laid, he saw that his arms were no longer covered with the gauntlets he recognized. He lifted one of them, shaking violently, and turned it in front of him. What did this mean? Had he been stripped of his armor? How did he end up in an Orokin structure? Ash clutched his aching chest. He could still feel the weight of the Razorback as if it were still on top of him.

“Tenno” Lotus appeared on his HUD again, sounding more urgent this time. “I've been delayed. You may need to get to extraction on your own. Are you able to stand?”

“I… doooo-ooon’t….” Ash struggled to form words. They felt unfamiliar on his tongue. Everything felt unfamiliar. He barely suppressed the urge to vomit once again.

“Do what you can,” the Lotus replied grimly. “I am coming.”

Ash groaned weakly as he rolled onto his side. He clutched his chest with trembling hands and peered around him warily. He felt so vulnerable - so weak! Where was his Warframe's agility? Was he in some secret Corpus base? Glancing over his shoulder, he just barely caught a glimpse of what looked like a ring of cryopods sinking into a large pool of water behind him. He hadn't come from one of those, had he? Why would the corpus want an armor-stripped Warframe only to store them away?

Ash’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of echoing footsteps from another chamber. The corrupted? Corpus? He couldn't let himself be found! The crippled Tenno tried and failed to stand. His leg buckled the moment he tried to place weight on them. Frustrated, panicked, and disoriented, he did the best he could. With all the strength he could muster, which wasn't much, he forced himself into a slow, painful crawl away from the sound of footsteps.

The tenno heard more than felt himself sobbing. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he pull himself together? Ash paused his crawl to catch his breath and allow the unfamiliar burn in his muscles subside. The sound of footsteps was growing louder. It felt like his heart stopped into his stomach. Was he going to die here? No, he couldn't! Not like this - pathetic and miserable on the floor. The Tenno forced himself forward… and found himself face to face with an infested ancient.

Any other time, Ash would have been mortified at the sound he made - somewhere between a Yelp and a squeal. He threw his hands up as if to defend himself, though he knew it would be useless. There was a brilliant flash of blue light, and Ash suddenly found himself tumbling backwards. With great effort, he was about to prop himself up on his elbows from his back. 

The ancient seemed to have suffered a blue across the neural array fused to its face, judging by the black marks draping over its surface, but it didn't seem to be bothered. It bellowed a screeching cry that pierced Ash's ears like daggers, then charged towards him as fast as its deformed limbs could carry it. Moments before it would have reached its intended prey, a large chunk of its upper torso, including one arm, exploded in a flash of light and splattering of flesh.

Ash sat frozen in panic as the creature collapsed only a few feet from where he lay awkwardly sprawled after his unexpected propulsion. For a moment, all was silent, saving for the Tenno’s rapid breathing. He startled at the sound of a boot clicking against the gore-splattered Orokin floor - but when he saw its owner, he could finally relax. The Lotus had come after all! She was here in the flesh!

“Lot-us…” Ash struggled to call her name.

“Hush child,” the Lotus murmured softly as she knelt beside him. “Rest. You are safe now.”

________________________________

When Ash awoke, it was aboard his orbiter… but in a room he did not recognize. He was sitting, surrounded on his left and right by a mass of machinery. In front of him was mostly open space, and the Lotus, waiting patiently. The Tenno sat up straighter. “You're here,” he gasped, equal parts grateful and surprised.

The Lotus nodded sagely. “Tenno, I have some news for you. It will be difficult to hear, and I wanted to visit you in person to deliver it.”

Ash stared blankly ahead. There was so much happening so quickly.

“Tenno… I'm very sorry. I did not want to wake you but… Your Warframe had been destroyed,” Lotus said softly.

“D-destroyed?!” Ash choked the word out. How could that be? He was still here wasn’t he? Was he dead?

“Your Warframe was the vessel - the hand,” the Lotus explained. She reached out and stroked Ash’s cheek gently. “And you are Tenno: the will, the mind, the Operator.”

Ash shuddered at the intimacy of the touch. He reached up his own hand and placed his fingertips against the opposite cheek. What he felt was not armor, but warm flesh. He felt cheekbones, a nose, eyelids, lips… The realization hit him like a Corpus walk- he shuddered and suppressed the thought. “Th-this is what I am?!” the Tenno asked incredulously.

“Yes,” Lotus responded with a slow nod. “This is your true power, unfiltered by a Warframe, yet also untrained.”

Ash did not feel in the slightest bit powerful. “True power?” he repeated the words. “I can't even stand. What power is that? What use am I if… if I am not Ash?”

“You will learn to wield the power of the Void in time,” Lotus placed her hand on the Tenno’s. “For now, I have brought an Excalibur you may use. It may give you some comfort, and you can seek a new Ash.”

The words were familiar, but the Tenno was unaccustomed to hearing them used in such a manner. “I… need time to think,” he muttered, his eyes unfocused. He ran his unfamiliar tongue across unfamiliar teeth within his mouth. He viewed his orbiter and the Lotus without a HUD for the first time. He flexed various muscles, some new, some old, and others just different. “If I am not Ash, then who am I?” he asked.

Patient as ever, the Lotus looked into the Tenno’s eyes, though her own were not visible. “The answer to that question lies in your own memories. Tell me… what do you remember of the Zariman?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! My poor Operator is so confused! I'm not exactly sure where I go from here, and the details of the conversation he has after this will be quite similar to what happened in the quest itself, so no need to bore anyone with that. If you want to see more of this or have constructive criticism, please let me know!


End file.
